On July 12, 2022, at 1pm, the Town of Morristown will unveil its next piece of public art at Open Space at Speedwell located at 51 Prospect Street next to the Modera 44 and Modera 55 apartments. This piece was part of an international selection process issued in June 2018, which chose and commissioned Nathan S. Pierce of Cape Girardeau, Missouri for the project, in early 2019. After some delays due to the pandemic, the sculpture is now ready to be installed and presented to the public.

Pierce’s piece entitled “Convergent” is an 8’ x 7’ x 7’ stainless steel structure accented with light blue, amber and fluorescent green acrylic panels (rendering below). When asked about the subject, source and inspiration for his piece, Pierce commented:

“I love the surprise that we get from seeing out of the ordinary things in ordinary places. That moment of surprise helps bring awareness to our surroundings and creates an opportunity to reimagine our sense of place. The relationship that these pieces have with the environment communicate to the viewer. It is this connection that helps activate our imagination, which helps us see the world differently. “Convergent” was inspired by the redevelopment of the space. The process of developing new space, we can learn to generate new perspectives from our interaction with that space. The use of the colored acrylic panels is an effort to illustrate to the viewer the ability to share and experience a new perspective.”

The ‘Convergent” sculpture is the second commissioned public art piece out of Morristown’s One Percent for Art program which was started and established by Morris Arts in 2015. One Percent for Art is an initiative that states any new redevelopment in Morristown must bring with it one percent of capital costs – up to $100,000 – to put toward installation and maintenance of exterior public art on, or adjacent to the property being developed. Morristown is among the first municipalities in New Jersey to institute this initiative.

Morris Arts’ Executive Director, Tom Werder comments on the project:

“We are thrilled to see this One Percent for Art project finally come to fruition. As our community grows, it’s exciting to see public art included in this growth. This beautiful sculpture by Nathan Pierce will help activate this new park and become a gathering place for residents of the neighborhood.”

Public art is a distinguishing part of our public history and our evolving culture. It reflects and reveals our society, adds meaning to our cities and uniqueness to our communities. Upon the launch of the One Percent for Art project, Mayor Tim Dougherty shared on the importance of public art in Morristown:

“It is a top priority for us to improve Morristown’s existing environment and infrastructure in order to improve the overall quality of life for all of its citizens. This One Percent for Art program adds to that mission and our overall vision to become the most welcoming, beautiful, healthy, resilient, and sustainable place to live, work, and play in New Jersey.”

Join the Morristown Mayor and Council, sculptor Nathan S. Pierce, Topology, Morris Arts and other members of the community for the unveiling. A larger community celebration will be held later this summer as part of Morris Arts’ upcoming 50th Anniversary. More information and progress photos can be found at www.morrisarts.org.

Official press release from The Town of Morristown: Speedwell Public Art Unveiling.